Quest for a 2-peat

The question of whether the game of croquet began during the early 1600s, or the latter 1800s, is a subject for sports historians who, perhaps, have a bit too much time on their hands.

The question of whether the game of croquet began during the early 1600s, or the latter 1800s, is a subject for sports historians who, perhaps, have a bit too much time on their hands.

But, one thing appears certain — Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s croquet team has taken the game to its highest level.

This weekend, OKWU’s highly-skilled — and dedicated — squad will attempt to capture its third national crown in four years, and second-in-a-row.

At 3:30 a.m. this morning, a group of eight bleary-eyed OKWU mallet-craftsmen, along with veteran coach Wendell Thompson, set out for the Tulsa Airport — and from there on a journey that will take them to Haverford, Penn. — seeking to solidify OKWU’s status as the nation’s best croquet program.

The Eagles will begin competition Saturday — at the United States Croquet Association National Collegiate Championship — with an aim to duplicate last year’s success.

The Eagles — who are coached by Wendell Thompson — placed three two-man teams in the final four, during the 2013 championship tourney. In fact, the 2013 final featured two OKWU teams going head-to-head — Aaron McIntosh and Daniel Johnston, against Micah Klumb and Dallas Horsley.

McIntosh and Johnston won the crown, and finished 8-0 in the tourney; Klumb and Horlsey went 7-1.

McIntosh later was named by the U.S. Croquet Association — whose office is located in West Palm Beach, Fla. — as the national Collegiate Player of the Year, while Thompson was tabbed as the national Coach of the Year.

OKWU returning both those pairs this season, along with Jon Goss and Alan McIntosh, who finished fourth last year in the national.

All the players on those three teams are seniors.

Rounding out this year’s OKWU four-team contingent is the combo of freshman Aaron Fratzke and sophomore Devon Smith.

A practice session will be held Friday, at the gigantic Merion Cricket Club — which is where the national competition will take place.

Round-robin play is set to begin Saturday and the finals will take place Sunday.

"We’ve been practicing since the second week in February, every Tuesday and every Saturday morning, except for a couple of weeks when the whether wasn’t good enough," said Thompson, who has been architect of OKWU’s croquet dynasty in the 2010s.

The practice sessions have the added sacrifice of making the drive to Tulsa, to sharpen skills at one of the five croquet courts at LaFortune Park.

OKWU’s devotion to croquet is unique.

"There is no other team west of the Mississippi," noted Thompson.

In fact, the slate of competing schools at the national championship includes a list of some of the elite institutions in the nation, including the Naval Academy, William &Mary, St. John’s and Princeton, and other highly-thought of eastern colleges such as Haverford and Case Western and State University of New York.

And, then there’s little OKWU, which has Bartlesville campus population of approximately 450-600.

But, the Eagles have forged a reputation as the big dog in collegiate croquet, as well as put Bartlesville on the map.

Last season, Thompson’s top three Eagle squads breezed with 5-0 records into the final eight — the first time a school had achieved that at this competition.

Those three teams then made the Final Four — another historical achievement.

A Naval Academy twosome rounded out the Final Four.

The tourney generally begins with six-team pools, Thompson said, with each team playing five games in pool play.

The first team to score seven points wins a game.

In instances where the score is tied, 6-6, "it really gets interesting," said Thompson. "You then have to shoot down to the wicket that’s furthest away."

The croquet courts at the Merion facility measure 85-feet wide and 105-feet long — and the facility includes 20 courts.

The mallets used are not the same lightweight one’s employed for backyard croquet.

"These are thick mallets," noted Thompson, adding they can cost anywhere from $175 to $500 each.

Thompson provides the mallets for his players and has to put them in a special container to ship on an airplane.

What makes the OKWU team especially dangerous are the players’ ability to jump shots, something which Thompson has taught and which the players have worked to master.

"If somebody puts the ball into the wicket, and it’s stuck halfway in the wicket, one of my boys, from six-or-eight feet back, can hit the ball and make it jump over the ball stuck in the wicket and win the wicket," Thompson explained.

Croquet competition on the championship level also maintains a high degree of decorum.

The players and coaches — as well as spectators rimming around the playing area — are required to be dressed completely in white, from their shoes to their caps.

OKWU players have the school’s symbol sewn on the left side of their white golf shirts, Thompson added.

Another enforced bit of etiquette is the prohibition of a coach to work with his athletes once play begins.

Thompson will be busy part of the time anyway participating in an adult tournament that also will take place during the weekend.

Thompson and his OKWU program made its first major noise by capturing the national title in 2011.

"We should have won it in 2012," Thompson added. "All my teams were placed in the same bracket in the playoffs and only one of our teams ended up in the final four. We totally blew them away last year."

Connected with the tourney are some unforgettable memories, some revolving around the unpredictable spring weather in Pennsylvania.

During one of the tournaments, the weather on the practice day couldn’t have been nicer, Thompson said.

"But, when we went out to play in the round robin, it was 37 degrees and the wind was blowing and it was raining. We played in that weather for eight hours and we were miserable. One of our players was Daniel Johnston, who is from Houston. I old him to wear warm clothes, but he came out in shorts."

After Johnston began to suffer mightily from the elements, Thompson took off his own pants and lent them to him.

"I had brought an extra pair, so it worked out okay," said Thompson. "I don’t want to go through anything like that again."

This year, Thompson struggled to book the airline flight, finally finding a carrier that had 12 seats.

"We barely made it," said Thompson.

The benefit for the students is they get to stay in a four-star hotel — at a reduced rate — and eat at some very nice restaurants.

"They don’t have to pay for anything," Thompson noted.

Thompson also expressed appreciation to OKWU president Dr. Everett Piper for providing rings after last year’s championship.

No one can predict whether OKWU will put it all together again this weekend and pull off the two-peat.

But, regardless of what happens Saturday and Sunday, OKWU won’t be sneaking up on anyone.

The Eagles have earned their respect as the little team that can, can and may do it again.